Pitbull lookalikes fill 3Arena for rapper's sold-out Dublin concert
Thousands of people, many dressed in bald caps, black jackets, white shirts and ties and sunglasses, flocked to see Mr Worldwide from all over Ireland and Europe, with Dutch, English, Scottish and Spanish fans attending.
Amber and Kyle, from Dundee and Edinburgh, revealed they'd travelled over as there were no Scottish dates.
Amber and Kyle from Scotland
They were among the first to arrive at the 3Arena and were excitedly brandishing a cardboard cut-out Pitbull they'd won in a competition. "I had presale so I got the tickets,' Amber said.
Amber said she was looking forward to hearing all of his songs while Kyle wanted to hear Don't Stop the Party. ' Can't wait for that one', he said. They had travelled over for three days and were enjoying their time in Dublin.
Spaniards Alma, Tanya and Laura all live in Ireland and were meeting their friend Paola before the concert kicked off. They were all in high spirits and looking forward to partying it up.
Paola, Alma, Tanya and Laura
Dutch native Vera and her friends Gabby and Nat from London had came to Dublin due to the high price of UK tickets.
Gabby had been here before when she was 21 while it was the first time for the others. 'Everywhere she [Gabby] goes, it's a good time', Vera said.
The girls were looking forward to visiting the Guinness Storehouse and Trinity College also, 'I just want to sink pints', Nat laughed.
Pitbull fans Vera, Gabby and Nat
Ciara and Niamh had travelled from Ballyshannon in Donegal and said the three-and-a half hour trip was worth it to see their idol.
They'd secured tickets early on with one of the girls booking a morning off work when they were released.
Ciara and Niamh from Donegal
Asked what they were looking forward to hearing, ' Fireball ', they both replied enthusiastically. They'd decided to dress up the day before getting tickets.
Mary and Sarah, from Wilton in Cork, had their own spin on the Pitbull uniform by pairing the shirt and tie with black skirts and forgoing the bald caps. They'd missed out on the February gigs and were determined to make this one.
Mary told us: 'We got tickets ages ago. The first one, we tried to get tickets and we couldn't, so we're happy to get this one."
Cork girls Mary and Sarah at Pitbull
They were looking forward to hearing Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor) and love playing Pitbull while 'prinking' before a night out. 'Every night out, Pitbull's gonna be played at some point during the night', Mary said.
Meanwhile Dublin locals Linh and AJ told us they were also looking forward to the show and knew people who'd travelled from Spain to attend.
They were among the lucky few who'd snapped up their tickets in presale before general release.
Linh and AJ
Inside the venue, we enjoyed cocktails and pizza in the plush surroundings of the Kaleidoscope Lounge before the show began. Supporting acts were 00s legend Shaggy and Miami rapper and radio star, DJ Laz, who pumped up the crowd before the main event.
Pitbull hit the stage with his band and troupe of six dancers who dazzled the crowd with their choreography and sparkly costumes. The 44-year-old was full of energy and was clearly feeding off the infectious atmosphere.
Having collaborated with many other musicians and singers, including Christina Aguilera, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Kesha and T-Pain, the setlist was chock-full of floor fillers. He also paid homage to fellow Latino reggaeton star Daddy Yankee with a cover of hit track Gasolina .
The crowd were treated to two rounds of Timber as Pitbull revealed they'd experienced technical issues but added, 'It's only right we do it again.'
Thanking Dublin for the 'energy, the love', Pitbull recalled a funny experience he had in a bar here. He ordered a vodka and water only to be told deadpan by the barman, 'That's a c**t's drink!' Thankfully, he wasn't offended.
Pitbull on stage
The rapper was semi-philosophical as he reminded the crowd of his lyrics 'Life is not a waste of time and time is not a waste of life. So let's not waste any time. Get wasted tonight', before launching into crowdpleaser Time of Our Lives .
He also paid tribute to a teacher who 'changed his life'. The Miami native, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, spent his youth moving between various neighbourhoods and attended so many schools, he lost count.
'Never been a troublemaker, just always been around some trouble,' he said, adding that he didn't finish high school.
Pitbull
However, teacher Hope Martinez told him she believed in him and this stuck with him.
He shared some clips of the tuition-free schools he supports in Miami, adding that he now has '10,000 kids' who have attended and thanking his fans for helping him achieve this.
He closed the show out with his break-out hit Give Me Everything as a shower of ticker tape exploded over the crowd. With four sold-out dates here, it's unlikely Mr Worldwide will forget his adoring Irish audience anytime soon.
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